William de Blois

William de Blois (or William of Blois; His relationship with Puiset reinforces the likelihood of his origins being in Blois, as Puiset was a nephew of King Stephen of England and Stephen's brother Henry of Blois, the Bishop of Winchester, both of whom came from Blois. He was titled magister, implying that he attended a university and was well-educated. He taught at the school of Paris for a while, where at one point a townswoman tried to seduce him, resulting in the medieval writer Gerald of Wales later recounting the humorous story of how Blois resisted the lady's advances. probably from about 1189. He was a frequent witness to Hugh's charters in the late 1180s. Although he was now serving Hugh, Blois did not entirely quit the service of Puiset, and was present at Puiset's deathbed in 1195. Besides Hugh and Puiset, he also served Pope Innocent III.

Bishop of Lincoln

Hugh of Avalon died on 16 November 1200, but no new bishop was elected for over two years. King John first tried to impose his own appointee, but was unable to force his choice on the cathedral chapter, who were responsible for electing a new bishop. John then left the see vacant, and some contemporaries accused the king of doing so to secure the revenues of the see for himself because of the regalian right English kings had to receive all the income from a vacant bishopric. Eventually the cathedral chapter was allowed to perform an election, at Canterbury. but given the distance in time from when it was recorded to Blois' episcopate, it is unclear what exactly was meant by this. Nor has any such document survived. Blois' acta show him to have been an active and diligent administrator, especially concerned with the establishment of vicarages and with parish care. He also spent time mediating disputes, including one in 1204 over a church at Eynesbury that was disputed between Saer de Quincy, the canons of Newnham Priory and monks of St Neot's Priory. Most of his clerks and household members appear to have been non-relatives, with only another William de Blois, appointed Archdeacon of Buckingham by the bishop before becoming Bishop of Worcester in 1218, being a relative.